Best thing Comp Sci gives you is the ability to optimise your code and software, which Maths, Physics, IT or a BA won't give you.

Generally though, you should do a degree that gets you a job, especially if you are not sure what you want to do. That's why degrees such as Medicine, Dentistry, Radiography, Nursing, Midwifery, are good bets and most have no tuition fees to pay. Some even have a grant on top. Downside with health care is that although money may be good, see Midwife or Doctor starting on £30K+ after graduating, the effort per £ is much higher than Comp Sci jobs. Typically 12 hours shifts dealing with the nasty public.

Generic subjects and arts degrees, which are not from the top Unis, are pointless. Avoid.

The IT dept within a company is not to provide a service (that's what an external company does), it is to support and facilitate the business objectives. This is usually to maximise profits. So you look at ways to increase income and reduce costs. Eg - this can mean outsourcing (reducing costs) so staff doing 3 people's jobs at 1/3 of the quality can focus on doing their original job at 100% (increasing income).

Poor quality machines and service. We finally ditched them ~3 years ago.

Back then I asked why we ordered from them. I was told, "oh if there's a problem, they'll send someone the next day". They did send someone next day, 2 to 3 times a month! How about not having any problems to begin with? By the end we had towers where their cables fell out when they were on their side , no next day service (yet promised over the phone), parts missing, repair man not turning up, etc. etc.

Wonder why your public sector organisation is crap? Not only because they are using Stone computers, but the leadership and management that tolerate such crapness.

Re: Everyone is different

If you want low taxes you want the public sector paying as little as possible for IT. How many horror stories are there of public sector over paying for things?

Building PCs and laptops is low-end work, rather UK Plc should be focused on high-end skilled work and the tax payer should be more demanding of kids and teachers and schools. After inputting £50k+ on each kid in the UK's education system, I expect all kids to have top grades. Kids need to leave primary school with 3 things, minimum. 1 being fully literate, 2 fully numerate, 3 ability to self-learn. If they don't have these by age 12, they will most likely be reliant on the tax payer for the rest of their lives.

sh!t need to be online

I moved home 2 years ago and changed GP surgery at that time. Went to A&E recently and they had my old surgery details. B1tch at reception looked at me like it was my fault. Am I supposed to update all the Hospitals with my info myself?

A card system would be good. I had to limp my way round A&E reception, stand and give all my details when it would have been so much better and quicker if I could just scan a card. In fact you could get rid of reception stage completely and be put through to triage.

FFS!!!!!!!

Cloud advantages

1GB general server storage is around £2/ year in our own datacentre. This includes hardware, power, 24/7 support. A cloud provider quoted us £0.16/year for 1GB of mail storage (cheaper if we took out more).

"They said that a recent pilot protected more than £16m of potential losses in tax credits, and that the move could save about £700m for HMRC over the life of the contract and £100m for DWP. A spokesman for HMRC said the duration and value of the contract are confidential."

£16m is not a lot, probably less than what they are paying Experian. Hence why value of the contract is confidential.

As a tax payer I'd rather everyone get benefits and those working get taxed more (same amount so net is 0). This gets rid of the whole JSA bureaucracy and those private sector "training" leeches.

Tube and TFL staff are over paid. Fare prices need to come down. Cheapest single fair is around 20p in Hong King, price of a Hong Kong can of Cola!

Driverless trains yes as well as centralising upper management. In addition to residential and commercial development and use rental income to reduce fares. Not sure if TFL is the landlord of the Westfield Stratford shopping centre. If not, it's a missed opportunity!

More advertising income, why not have "TFL Radio" on buses/carriages? More LCD screens running adverts etc.?

solution

Get rid of the JSA system. Give everyone employed and unemployed a non-means tested allowance, ~£65/week and those working tax them the extra £65 week. Public sector is too large in this country. Better to pay a benefit allowance of £3380/year than a salary of £20K+ for jobs that aren't needed.

To prevent creation of a work shy underclass: 1. Stop them procreating. Offer £1000 to girls to have a contraceptive chip implanted, which will be removed if they can pay back (hopefully developing the discipline to earn and save) the £1000. 2. Better resources in primary school to compensate the kids who come from a poor home life.

Stop wishing them on the military!

2. They aren't scared of police or prison officers or military officers. One guy regularly does a f*** you to police and prison screws, and he gets regular beatings by them. He's too dumb to know about human rights etc. The more beatings and clashes he has with authority, the more cred he feels he has.

People please get a clue

Person 3. Neighbourhood friend. Beaten every day by his mum and no dad around. Always getting into trouble. Now an adult, he's still getting into trouble. He's not a nice person to be around (but his sister is hot)

De Yoof

I saw a video interviewing the feral yoof (made a couple of weeks ago). How youth clubs and centres closed and that with bored hoodies there will be more trouble on the streets.

I thought "I don't need a youth club to stop me from being a rioter. Why don't these kids do some homework, study, hobby etc." Then I realised why, I wouldn't be a rioter. I had a good home and family. I read about one kid who would get daily beatings from his mum's pimp. How would he turn out I wonder? A youth centre would at least offer an alternative to his home life, an adult who cares and maybe a way out from his situation.

This is the issue here. How can the government and the schools, compensate for a poor home life? A lack of a good family? Best chance is when kids are in primary school, because by the age of 12 their brains are mostly set. In a way they end up like animals not knowing right from wrong. I pity them and I'm no longer angry at them when I first saw and experienced the riots.

Taking a way benefits, kicking them out from their homes, is not the answer, we'll just have more angry youth with nothing to lose. To deal with the curent crop of youth/rioters we need both punishment and rehab, otherwise it will be an endless cycle billed to the tax payer. Bring back forced labour, have them build prisons, roads etc.

If riots break out and small business and homes are threatened with burglary and arson, passers by being beaten up, this is where the police need to be with rubber bullets and water canon, tasers and cs spray. If Tesco and Currys are being looted, just take pictures and use CCTV to get them later.

First came the thugs in suits, vandalising the economy (the ones in parliment looting their expense accounts) and now dumb thugs in tracksuits riot and burn their community.

you're mistaken...

Yes, but income tax on council workers salaries, is tax payers money going back to the tax pile- the remaining 70% of the salary goes to the invdividual, a loss of 70% to the tax payer. Private (to private) enterprise generates tax, the origin is the private pocket, for the tax payer that is a gain.

I've worked in councils and yes there are redundant areas which have developed, due to the nature of not having commercial pressures or lacking good leadership (or both). I'd rather pay £200/month JSA out of my tax than £2000+/month on redundant staff.

What is cheaper?

For the tax payer it's better to pay someone JSA than a salary (~£200 vs £2000). The public sector has too many staff (and usually not enough where it is needed, A&E, maternity care etc.!)

Whether the system being outsourced will work is one question, another question is (sometimes) if the system is needed at all? There are dept. services that do nothing at all and a service head getting £80k+)

Do councils paying tax payers money as salary, generate tax income?

Hmmm, let's say they get £20K, 25% goes to central tax/NI, ~5% council tax, leaving 70%, then minus all the VAT purchases, fuel, clothes etc. ~60% is then left going into their private pocket. Does that 60% create tax revenue?